


It's Been A While

by PinkPandorafrog



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2015-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-27 07:56:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5040262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkPandorafrog/pseuds/PinkPandorafrog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy's way not into dating in the '40s, but then her boss finds her working late and asks her if she wants to grab something to eat. Is it actually a date?</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Been A While

“You still here?”

Darcy looked up to see Chief Sousa standing a few steps away and looking down at her with a friendly smile on his face. She smiled back, tilting her head to the side and taking her hands away from the typewriter. She _hated_ typewriters. But doing this was a hell of a lot better than getting fired from some other job out in the city because misogyny. “Yeah. Just trying to get ahead on some work so I can nap at my desk on Monday morning.” Well, kinda. The _real_ reason was that she was giving Peggy and Angie some alone time at Howard's townhouse, but she couldn't exactly tell him that.

“It's Friday night, you don't have a date?” There was a touch of confusion in his dark eyes, like he found it hard to believe that she didn't have a date.

She snorted at that, shaking her head. “No.” World of no. “I'm, uh... Picky.” Well, the whole misogyny thing. And not being able to easily find a nice girl to go out with. She was over-the-moon happy for Peggy and Angie, but it was hard not to be a tiny bit jealous, too.

“Okay.” He looked down at her for another long moment before he shifted the coat he had folded over one arm. “Goodnight, Miss Lewis.”

“Goodnight.” She turned her attention back to her typewriter as he started moving away.

He didn't get very far, though, just a few steps before he swung his head back around. “It's getting a bit late, I'll probably go out for dinner.” There was a bit of a pause, his brown eyes fixed on her face. “Have you eaten?”

Her eyebrows raised a little, an incredulous smile moving across her face. “Not yet. Are you asking me to dinner?” Another, longer pause, then a tentative nod. “Yeah, of course. Just let me get my coat.” She pushed back her chair and got to her feet, turning to pull her coat off the back of it before putting the file away in the bottom drawer of her desk and grabbing her purse.

Okay, and she probably should have said no. There wasn't even anything remotely like an HR department, and going out with your boss, blah, blah, blah. But Chief Sousa was a pretty decent guy, Peggy had actually suggested this job after his promotion _because_ the Chief was a decent guy and it was less likely that Darcy would taze him.

Not that she'd gotten Howard to work up a prototype stun gun for her that was currently resting in the bottom of her handbag or anything.

And she was getting pretty tired of transitioning between work and home (with the occasional side trip to Howard's house) with nothing else to do.

Most of the department had made a pass at her at some point, and she'd earned the reputation of a frigid bitch for her habit of giving them a scathing once-over and walking away. No one ever called her that to her face, of course, and never within earshot of Peggy or the Chief. She was pretty sure that not all of them wanted to actually date her, they were just giving her a hard time.

She pulled her coat on as she walked over to join him. It was on the tip of her tongue to suggest that he ask Tony to look into making him some super fancy, high-tech prosthetic, but she quickly squashed the idea. That was the type of shit Tony really loved doing, something robotic that would unquestionably improve someone's life. But they were in the wrong time for _Tony_ , and she wasn't sure how Howard would react to a request like that.

Daniel obviously hadn't made reservations anywhere, so Darcy suggested the diner across the street. Angie wasn't working, of course, but the food was decent and it was never super crowded at this time of night. And it was low pressure because she wasn't sure if this was a date or not?

They ordered and ate. He was actually a pretty awesome dinner companion. He had a pretty good sense of humor, a bit dry. He seemed to value her as a person, despite the fatal flaw of being a woman, and he wasn't nearly as cocky as Howard. That was nice.

They'd been finished for a bit, had already paid and everything, and were just lingering over coffee. Darcy looked down at her watch, it was only 9:00. She tried to give her housemates until at least 10:00, just because this was the only time they really got _together_. “Guess I should head back to work for a bit.”

Daniel- after the first Miss Lewis as they'd been eating she'd told him to call her Darcy, and he told her to call him Daniel, at least while they weren't at work- looked at her for a moment, his eyebrows drawing together a little bit. “Back to work?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm having a lot of fun with you but I'm pretty sure Betty wants to clear our table and I'm not ready to go home just yet.” And she was having a lot of fun. In addition to being a pretty decent guy and the sense of humor, Daniel was pretty hot. What she wanted to say was, _Let's go back to your place_ , but he was still her _boss_ and no matter how much better he was about the whole she was a woman thing, such a “brazen” suggestion would probably end badly.

He glanced up to where Betty was standing behind her counter looking bored and restless, and then back to Darcy. “I'd offer to drive you home, but I guess that won't work if you're not going home. How about I walk you back to work?”

“Yeah, and I have my car here. That sounds good, though.” She pushed her chair back and stood up, pushing it back in to the table as Daniel got up as well. He'd left his crutch leaning against the back of a nearby chair, and as soon as he had it properly situated, they started on their way back to the office. He insisted on holding the door for her, of course, but their pace as they headed back was probably best described as an amble. He didn't seem to be in any more of a hurry to end the evening than she was.

“What do you miss most?” he asked suddenly. He was one of a handful of people who knew that she wasn't really Peggy's Canadian cousin down from Toronto, that she was actually from, you know, 60-some years in the future.

“Honestly?” She glanced over at him as they meandered down the sidewalk. “The social mores. In addition to a lot less accepted casual misogyny, it's a lot... Friendlier. I mean, now it's no big deal if I wanna cuddle up on the couch with Angie while we watch TV or whatever, but I can't even think about doing that with a guy.” Howard was completely okay with casual touching, but that came with its own set of complications, and she didn't really want to go there.

“You do that?” His eyes swung over to her for just a moment before returning to the sidewalk in front of them.

“Sure. Some of my best friends are guys, and they make pretty awesome cuddle buddies. And because of the social mores, I feel like I'm... Stuck, I guess.” She let out a long sigh. “Like, home is fine. I get the one-eyebrow sometimes, but Angie and Peggy are pretty awesome and just go with it for the most part. And I get to go to work, right. That's nice. And not getting fired every few days is pretty awesome too.” She glanced over at Daniel to see that he was smiling, shaking his head. “I mean, my boss is cool. But I swear like a trucker, and I have all these crazy ideas about women's rights, and it's just not worth the fucking headache to go anywhere.” She made a face. “Sorry. I probably shouldn't be bitching to you.”

“Sounds lonely,” he said, and there was a note of understanding in his voice.

“Lonely is a good word for it, yeah.” Darcy pressed her lips together, eyes widening a little as she nodded.

“No, I get it. This-” he pointed at his prosthetic- “makes me less of a man, even though I get told that I've made a brave sacrifice. At first girls must have thought it was patriotic to go out with someone who'd lost his leg in the war or something, but now it's just an inconvenience.” He tried to keep his voice steady, but there was an edge of bitterness there.

Empathy washed through her. “You just work too much to meet the right kind of girl.”

“Says the girl who was still there when I was leaving.” He gave her a pointed look, and she looked up to grin at him.

They'd reached the front of the building, and Darcy stopped, catching her lower lip in her teeth as she looked up at him. “So we're both lonely. Why don't I come hang out for a bit at your place?” She winced as soon as the words were out, wondering if she'd maybe done the most stupid thing she'd done since coming back in time, but a small smile turned up the corners of his lips, and her shoulders relaxed from the taut lines she hadn't known she'd bunched them into.

 

* * *

 

Daniel didn't have a TV, but he did have a radio. They were playing the Captain America show that Angie thought was _hilarious_ and Peggy not-so-secretly hated. Darcy ended up tucked into one corner of Daniel's couch, feet up under her with her heels on the floor in front of her. She wanted to sit cross-legged, but the skirt she'd worn to work wouldn't allow for that.

“Did you meet him?” Daniel asked. She looked over to see he was pointing to the radio.

“Captain America?” She smiled. “Steve, yeah. He's a good friend of mine. What everyone conveniently forgets is how much of a fucking smart ass he is. Dude's full of sass like you wouldn't believe. Like, everyone pictures him as this sort of strait-laced do-gooder, and he's...” The smile grew into a grin. “Cheeky, to borrow one of Peggy's words.”

Daniel nodded, a faraway expression in his eyes like he was thinking. “How did he adjust?”

“I wasn't there right after he was thawed. And he's got some issues going on up here-” she tapped the side of her head- “with everything that happened, but adjusting to the differences is going pretty well, he's just taking it all in stride. Steve's a good guy.” Her eyes widened for a second with a sudden thought. “I don't think Thompson would have nearly as easy of a time as Steve is. Although...” She started grinning. “I would _love_ to see him meet Pepper.” That would be _glorious_. She'd pay actual money for that.

“Who's that?” He was sitting on the other side of the couch. It was a loveseat, so he wasn't _too_ far away, but far enough to be proper or whatever.

“Pepper Potts. She runs...” Darcy's grin grew. “Don't tell Howard or I'll have to kill you, but she runs Stark Industries. I want to be Pepper when I grow up, she doesn't take shit from anyone.”

“What do you want to do?” Daniel asked quietly after a moment.

The smile fell from Darcy's face, and she sighed. She'd been here for long enough that never going back was really starting to look like an inevitability. “I don't know. I really don't know. I think I can stay where I am. The SSR eventually morphs into SHIELD, and I'm positive that I'll be able to get in at SHIELD.” Absolutely positive. The future Director was her housemate. “I mean, as long as you don't mind a secretary who swears too much and is far too independent for her own good.”

“Are you happy doing that?” He was looking at her intently like he actually gave a shit what the answer was.

She sighed again, getting to her feet to move over to where the fireplace was cold and empty. It was getting into fall, it was starting to be fire weather, but there wasn't any wood stacked up beside it. Maybe Daniel wasn't home enough to find it worth the trouble. “Not really. I have a degree in political science. My job isn't intellectually stimulating at all. I mean, not that I don't appreciate it,” she rushed to say, turning to look at him. “Because I really, _really_ appreciate it, but I'm better than this. But...” She was aware that she was complaining entirely too much. “The knitting patterns are fantastic, and the shoes are _awesome_. It's fine.”

He was unfolding himself from the loveseat. His crutch was leaning up against the back of it, but he moved towards her without it, probably too much of a hassle for just a few steps. “You remind me a lot of Peggy. She was better than what we had her doing, but she had an outlet.”

Darcy shrugged. “Yeah. I go and hang out with Howard from time to time and do science. It's fine,” she said again. It kinda wasn't, but probably stopping complaining was a good idea.

“Do you want to be doing more?” He came to a stop right in front of her. While still a good bit taller than her, he _wasn't_ a member of the over-six-feet-tall club, and looking up at him was considerably less neck-straining than most of her friends in her own time.

She shrugged. “Yeah, but I mean... My degree is framed on my wall in my time, you're just taking my word on it. If I get a sudden and unexpected promotion, everyone's gonna say that it's because I'm banging you, which will undermine both of us.”

“But do you want to?” Daniel was close enough that she could see the pulse moving in his throat, probably too close for propriety.

“Get a sudden and unexpected promotion or bang you?” Well, _that_ slipped out. She widened her eyes, catching her lower lip between her teeth. “Sorry, I lose my filter sometimes.” She stared up at him for a second. “I should probably go.”

She made to turn away, but his hand on her upper arm halted her in her tracks. She turned back towards him, close enough that her blouse-covered breasts were almost brushing the front of his sweater vest.

There was uncertainty in his eyes as they flicked back and forth between hers, but it mingled with a quiet determination. He leaned forward and kissed her. It was a sweet, closed-mouth kiss that lasted for a few seconds before he pulled away. “You're smiling again.” He reached up, the back of one finger brushing over her cheek.

She was smiling, just a little. “Yeah. But I probably should go, otherwise I'm going to be suggest you should take off your tie and roll up your sleeves to get comfortable.” She winced, lips pulling back into a grimace. “Lack of filter again, sorry. This probably means it's time for me to head home.”

“Do you want to stay for a drink?” His eyebrows rose just a little as though the question had surprised him. His features quickly settled into a more determined expression, which was good, because if they hadn't Darcy would have totally said no.

Although she was kinda tempted to say no anyway. 'Cause the more time she spent around him, the more she just kinda wanted to crawl on top of him for an open-mouthed kiss. She caught her lip between her teeth again, and his brown eyes dropped down to linger on her mouth. “Maybe just one.”

“I have some scotch. Do you want ice?” He was moving towards the kitchen, which was just over there through the doorway.

“Yes please.” She took the opportunity to look around the living room. The house was really more of a cottage, one floor. There was a foyer that opened up into the living room, a kitchen, and on the other side it looked like one bedroom and a bathroom. Daniel was either tidy, or he didn't spend much time here because there was a distinct lack of the clutter that seemed to spring up everywhere in the house she shared with Angie and Peggy.

She followed after him, not bothering to slip her heels back on, and the sight in the kitchen made her raise her eyebrows. “Really?”

He looked up at her, a bit of a shy smile on his face. He'd both taken off his striped tie and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, and really that wasn't helping the urge to nibble on his earlobe. The man had some fantastic forearms. He was pouring the amber liquid into two short glasses, and Darcy moved forward to take one as he set the bottle down on the plain white tablecloth, capping it.

He offered her his glass, and she clinked hers gently against it before lifting it to her mouth for a drink. She wasn't the world's biggest fan of scotch, but it was okay in incremental sips. Plus, totally an excuse not to leave yet. Although she was still kinda on two minds about that.

“You never asked me what happened,” Daniel said after a moment, reaching down the pat the prosthetic where it was covered by his slacks.

“That's kinda rude. I mean, I'd safely put us in the realm of _friends_ now, but you don't just ask work acquaintances that. If you want me to know, I figure you'll tell me.” She shrugged, taking another tiny sip of her drink.

“Took some shrapnel to my leg in Germany near the end of the war. They had to remove the whole thing.” He was watching her carefully like he was waiting for some kind of reaction.

“Man, that sucks.” Darcy nodded, eyes widened for emphasis.

He watched her for a second before draining his glass and setting it on the table. “This is usually the point of, 'Oh, you poor dear,' and then some excuse about having to go home.” And that, that was definitely the bite of bitterness in his tone.

“That sucks even more.” She shook her head. “No, the only reason I brought up leaving is that the more I'm around you, the more I just kinda wanna, you know, stick my tongue down your throat.”

And then she was against him, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. She set her drink on the table as his head came down towards her, turning up her face until their lips met again. She grabbed at the back of his woolen vest, crushing it in her fingers.

It started out just as sweet as their first kiss had, but when she parted her lips just a little, he was licking into her mouth like he had every right to be there, the velvet heat of his tongue swirling against her own. Heated, passionate didn't even begin to describe it. He was kissing her like he was dying and she was his only salvation, lips moving almost desperately against her own. She hummed softly in encouragement, starting to work the sweater vest up. He pulled away long enough to let her pull it off and drop it on the table, and then his mouth was on hers again, lips slanted hard across her own.

When she sucked gently on his tongue like a sweet piece of candy, he groaned, his hands closing in the back of her blouse and pulling up until it untucked from the waist of her slim skirt. His hands were warm against her back as he slid them up against her skin, fingertips pressing into her shoulder blades as he held her close.

It was only when she started to undo the buttons of his own shirt that Daniel pulled away, his arms slipping from around her as he took a step or two back. One hand rested on the back of one of the kitchen chairs, the other went on his hip as he stared hard at the floor.

“What's wrong?” she asked quietly, peering at his face. He was a little flushed, but then again so was she. Definitely.

“I haven't...” He took a deep breath and let it out as a long sigh. His eyes came up to meet hers, and there was a vulnerability there. “I haven't really been with a girl in a while.” His eyes dropped to his leg. “Not since it stopped being patriotic.”

“Okay.” Darcy watched him for a second. “Do you not want to? We could just make out some more, or have a drink, or I could drive myself home.” He looked up, and she could see the worry in his eyes. “I mean, believe me, I'd much rather stay here and get naked and sweaty, but if that's not something you're comfortable with right now I totally understand.”

He reached for her again, one hand sliding boldly over her hip, the other arm folding around her back to pull her against him. This kiss wasn't as frantic as the last one had been, and when he nipped at her lower lip Darcy gasped. This time when she reached for the buttons on his shirt he didn't pull away, and soon she had it open to reveal the undershirt underneath. Her hands moved up over his torso, sliding just into the sleeves to reveal that the undershirt was sleeveless. She pushed it down over his arms. He let it drop to the floor behind him, and thenhis hands were on her again, sliding under her shirt, over the skin of her back.

Daniel pulled back from the kiss but he lingered, nibbling at her lips with his own. “We should go to the bedroom.” He rested his forehead against hers, their breath mingling together, and there was a weighty pause like he expected her to tell him to shove it.

“Okay. Which door is that, 'cause both of the ones in there are closed.”

He took her hand and they made their way back into the living room. It was the door on the left, apparently, and he opened it to reveal a neatly-made bed and a few pieces of furniture. This room showed more signs of being lived in, there was a shirt slung across the back of the desk chair, and there were a couple of books down by the side of the bed.

He stopped just beside the bed, dropping her hand and reaching up to undo the buttons of her blouse. He was more careful with her clothing than she'd been with his, when it was undone all the way he placed it neatly at the foot of the bed.

His eyes traced out her curves even as Darcy was reaching for his undershirt. He lifted his arms to let her pull it up and off, and she let it fall to the floor. He was put together pretty well. Nice shoulders, fantastic arms. She stepped into him again, her palms smoothing up over his chest and around his neck to gently tug him down for another kiss. Her fingers tangled in the back of his dark hair as she flicked her tongue along his lower lip, and he opened for her.

His fingertips trailed up along her back, stopping at the back of her bra. He lingered there, but he wasn't trying to undo it, at least not yet. She slipped from him and spun around, turning her back to him. “That might make it a little easier.”

Daniel chuckled, but he undid the thing. Darcy pulled it off and dropped it on the floor to join his undershirt before turning back around.

“The rest of it gets a lot more complicated for me,” he told her, studying her like he was still waiting for a reaction of some kind.

“Okay.” She shrugged, reaching over to find the zipper on the side of her skirt. “Before we get any further, do you have a- a rubber in here, or do I need to go and get one from my purse?”

His eyebrows furrowed a little as he looked at her. He opened his mouth like he was going to ask, but then closed it again. Points, he got points for that. “I have one in the table.” There was a natural-look bedside table tucked in between the bed and the wall, a drawer in the front. That was good news.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned forward to undo his shoes, pulling them off. Darcy unzipped the skirt and let it and her high-waisted panties fall to the floor before she sat down gently beside him, getting comfortable. Then came his pants, then the sock garters and socks. Only his white shorts were left, and he looked up at her. “Do you want me to leave it on?” He patted the side of the prosthetic, which appeared to be some kind of leather harness on top that had a metal “joint” while the bottom was also painted metal.

She looked back at him. “Whatever's more comfortable for you.”

He pulled the hem of his shorts up out of the way, and it appeared to lace up. “It pinches a bit, and it's heavy.” His eyes stayed on her, and she smiled at him, trying to be reassuring.

Darcy got to her feet. She gently cupped her hands around both sides of his jaw, turning up his face. She was beside him, out of the way, and bent down to kiss him again. He was moving as she kissed him, and in just a few seconds he was sliding back to lay across the bed.

He caught her hand again, gently tugging until she crawled onto the bed next to him, then down until she was reclined beside him. He rolled onto his side to face her, lips coming to capture hers again. She left her fingers drift up and down over his back, and his stole their way onto her waist as his tongue danced alongside hers.

His palm was warm as it slid up over the side of her ribs, up until it was resting against the side of her breast. She arched a little, trying to encourage him to move his hand just a little more, letting her teeth catch lightly over his lower lip.

Daniel groaned into her mouth, his palm slipping down until it rubbed over her nipple. She sucked in a gasp as she finally got friction just where she wanted it. He pulled back to watch her as he plucked at her nipple, his eyes flicking back and forth between her breast and her face. She arched into his touch, every move of his fingers sending a jolt of heat straight down between her legs until she was practically writhing on the bed.

His hand left her breast, drifting down over the curve of her hip until it was just at the top of her thigh. His deep brown eyes locked with hers as his fingers trailed down over the top of her thigh. She bent her knee, resting her foot on the bed for easy access, and his eyes widened as his fingers slipped between her heated lips. “Jesus Christ, Darcy.”

She wiggled her hips, and soon one finger was sliding down through her slick arousal, pushing slowly deep into her cunt. “Oh fuck,” she moaned, eyes closing as his finger pushed in up to the knuckle.

He pumped his finger in and out a few times before withdrawing completely as he sat up. Darcy opened her eyes and was about to ask what he was doing, but he was working his shorts off and reaching over her legs to open the drawer in the bedside table. She couldn't clearly see what he was doing, but his arms and shoulders were moving, and when he lay back on the bed again, she could see the latex covering his cock where it lay flush against his pelvis.

She shifted over, straddling his hips and rising up on her knees in front of him. His eyes were dark with lust as he looked over her body, tracing out the hollows and curves of her form. “You're the kind of girl I used to dream about.”

“Mmm...” She reached for his erection, bringing it up to line up with her pussy. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” She sank down slowly over him, humming appreciatively at the delicious stretch as she sat down against the tops of his thighs.

She rolled her hips once, and he rocked up to meet her. Reaching down, she laced her fingers between his and gently brought them up, guiding them to her clit. She rolled her hips again as she rolled their fingers across the sensitive bead of flesh, and let out a moan. He took over almost right away, and she brought her fingers up to twist at her nipple, the other hand flying out to brace against the wall for balance.

Her hips moved faster, and he rocked up to meet her each time until he was thrusting into her in a way that had her crying out. Her head was back, eyes closed. The tingling heat was winding deep inside her, and she dropped to brace herself against the bed beside his shoulders for more leverage. Her nipples scraped across the dark hairs on his chest every time she rose and fell, and she could feel the world narrowing down around her.

“Daniel,” she whimpered. “Fuck, Daniel!” She was right on the edge, and the next circle of his fingers sent her crashing over it, her body going still as she clenched around him.

He was still thrusting up into her, but his rhythm was growing irregular too. It was only another three or four strokes before he stiffened under her, his fingers pressing into her hips.

She collapsed against his chest, careful not to knock their heads together. They were both panting a little, and Darcy looked over until she found his hand to lace her fingers in his, palms together. His heart was thudding under her ear, and she let it lull her into almost a doze.

“You gonna stay?” he asked after a while, his fingertips tracing up and down along her spine.

“Mmm.” She thought about it for a second. If only she had a cell phone, she could call Peggy and be all, 'Not coming home tonight.' It wouldn't be the first time she'd stayed out all night, but Peggy tended to worry, especially with where they worked and the idea she had that people close to her had a habit of getting hurt. “You want me to?” If she was lucky, maybe Peggy would be all curled up with Angie, already fast asleep.

There was a long pause, and then, “Yeah. I do.”

“Okay.” She snuggled in closer, if that was even possible. She knew they couldn't stay like that, she'd have to get up and pee, and something would need to happen with the condom, but she really didn't want to move just yet.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by certain Dubsmash videos. There definitely needs to be more Sousa.


End file.
